Kyiv has sought New Delhi’s support for a resolution it would put forward for adoption at the United Nations General Assembly this week seeking the end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and lasting peace.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, received a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, who requested India’s support to the resolution moved by the East European nation with support from the western countries.
“Cooperation with India is very important to us,” Yermak told Doval according to a press release issued by the office of the Ukrainian President. “We believe that you will support our resolution, as it contains very correct wording on the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity. Our goals are transparent and clear: we do not claim a single centimetre of Russian territory, we just want to get ours back”.
France, Germany and the European Union have also reached out to India, seeking its support for the resolution, which the UN General Assembly would take up for discussion on Wednesday. The debate might continue on Thursday – the first anniversary of the launch of Russia’s “special military operations” in Ukraine.
The proposed resolution seeks the cessation of hostilities by both Russia and Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russia’s military forces from the territory within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, including the areas the President Vladimir Putin’s nation annexed.
“This resolution is fundamental for us because it restores respect for international law and the UN Charter in the world. It is very important to protect the territorial integrity of any state in the world in order to prevent any attempts by one country to appropriate the territory of another one in the future,” Yermak was quoted in the press release issued in Kyiv. He said that the resolution was drafted based on the principles shared by the majority of the countries, including India.
New Delhi, however, refrained from committing its support to the resolution.
India over the past 12 months mostly abstained from voting on resolutions the US and other western nations presented at the UNGA or at the UN Security Council, targeting Russia for its military aggression against Ukraine.
“It is a sovereign decision of any country to vote or abstain. We have reached out to the Indian side and we do not know how they will react tonight," German ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, said.